My wee corner of the Web

About me:

I have been a member of the National Capital FreeNet since 1995. I enjoy their economical services as an ISP and Web host. I have also met some decent, knowledgeable people through this community. There are only a handful of paid staff who run the NCF; the rest is done by volunteers. Get on-line today and consider getting that warm, fuzzy feeling by helping out! In September, I started subscribing to their new DSL service. Compared to the dialup service, this is sooo much faster, especially for Mac OS downloads. Zoom, zoom! They've also improved upon their Web Mail interface and released a very effective Spam filter. In early 2004, I helped them with testing Discussion Group technology. I even started using it in July 2005 as a tool for my own little blog called "This about that".

Ever since I was a young'un, besides doodling on any clean surface I could find, I have been fascinated with the purpose of locating, organizing and sharing information. Next to this type of employment, my other dream job would be working in a library. I just love working around books, reading books, holding books and helping other people find information they need. It happened once for a few months many, many years ago. Maybe it could happen again... but only if one would get paid as much as a Webmaster and the role of libraries in our culture was given more value.

I like reading Web development techniques, science fiction, biographies, and of course, childrens' stories. I like reading books period. They are one of the keys to knowledge and wisdom. The Ottawa Public Library is one of my favourite hangouts. I attempt to write poetry and essays, dreaming to some day become a published author.

I am employed in Ottawa, Ontario (Canada, eh?) at an Agriculture-related organization as an Internet Administrator. My responsibilities involve Email support for staff as well as Web site management and maintenance. It's the Web work that I really enjoy in my job. At times, I dwell somewhere between the clean, proper practices of creating usable Web sites with the proper standards and the dark side of creating them easily and quickly with WYSIWYG tools that mutate the code. I have even been known to learn some flash-terbatory techniques. I'm still learning, more and more every day. And loving it!

I prefer not to use any instant messaging technology in my private life. It just does not appeal to me and I have YET to see a need for it. Sometimes, you just don't want to be found. We need more serenity in our lives. I prefer to communicate with my family and friends via Email, telephone, traditional post and mostly, "in person". There is a limit to which I will let technology intrude on or "enrich" my life. Heck, I hardly even watch TV anymore. My favourite electronic medium is the radio as my eyes and brain don't become hypnotized into numbness. I can pursue creative or productive activities while listening to philosophical discussions or beautiful music.

Although my love of music has a broad range, my favourite type though, is of the gentle, classical sort. You know, Mozart, Beethoven, Haydn and so on... I particularily enjoy Loreena McKennit's style in blending Celtic, Middle Eastern and Asian music and tunes based on stories and poetry from the Middle Ages. My favourite FM radio station is CBC Radio Two, Classics and Beyond. Some of my favourite shows include Weekender, Vinyl Café, I Hear Music and Music and Company. I especially like to listen to the first two on Saturday mornings while making pancakes or eggs of some form for the family and sipping my second or third cup of coffee.

2003 - March 30th: Completed a book-led creativity course called "The Artist's Way". Wow! What a gruelling 12 week course - which dragged out to about 15 for me. I still do morning pages from time to time, being careful of the "critic" so I can let my inner child prevail.

2003 - April: Joined the Ottawa Literary Heritage Society. Enhanced some funky creative works called Pen Pals and committed myself to writing a poem a day through National Poetry Month. This is how far I got by April 11th... (in PDF)

2003 - November: Designed and helped launch capletters.ncf.ca -
a site dedicated to Ottawa's past and present literary environment. This site seeks to provide a point of reference for local literary activism, including the projects and events undertaken by the Ottawa Literary Heritage Society (OLHS).

2003 - November 30: Survived a life-altering experience. Not that I didn't already have a joy for living but lately, I REALLY have been savouring LIFE!

2004 - March: Thinking about Spring and the continuous renewal of Life. Convenient that the celebration of Easter happens in the Spring, yes? Well, I thought it would be useful to post an old PDF containing research on origins of the Easter Bunny and of course that darling little yellow guy, "Untalkative Bunny". It's a PDF version of an old Web site project and is over 5 MB so be patient. It has turned into a squirrel's nest of connected thoughts and queries. Oh yeah, some of the links are broken too. Now that I've really gotten your interest (ha, ha), follow this link.

March 16 - Attended the NCF 11th birthday party at Ottawa City Hall. Got to meet the councillor of my ward, put faces to user id's and chat with some very interesting, long-time NCF members. Oh, yes. I also had two pieces of the birthday cake. Why for heaven's sake didn't anyone tell me I had a chunk of icing on my cheek all that time (?!) - which I didn't notice until I got home. Too late to hope I made a good first impression.

July 2005: Using the NCF Discussion Group tool, I started my own little blog called "This about that"

September 2005: Signed up with NCF Internet's DSL service. Zoom, zoom.